Climb onto an access ramp, lie down, place your head in a cylindrical antenna, and remain perfectly still: this is the feat to which a team from INRAE in Nouzilly managed to bring around ten sheep. Until now, in animal research, only dogs were able to undergo an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) while awake. This world first, the results of which are published in the journal Behavior research methods, not only opens up perspectives for the study of brain functioning in sheep, but also for training other animals in this protocol.
Sheep trained from birth
To achieve these results, researchers from the Department of Animal Physiology and Breeding Systems carried out familiarization from birth. They started by “identify the animals most receptive to caresses or to the presence of foam objects near their heads”indicates the Inrae.
The ten most receptive lambs then participated in a first phase of training in the sheepfold of the Inrae Val de Loire center in Nouzilly. On the agenda: learning to “climb on a ramp to reach a fake MRI machine, then lie down”and to “place their head in a dummy MRI antenna”After this first situation, the sheep were invited to reproduce these gestures in a real MRI room. “It took a few weeks for the animals to get used to the vibrations of the machine and not move for several minutes”, specifies Inrae. At the end of this nine-month training protocol, 9 out of 10 sheep were able to pass an MRI exam while awake.
After nine months of training, the sheep were able to remain still for several minutes despite the vibrations of the machine.
© (Photo Inrae)
“The success of this protocol already opens up perspectives for research in animal neuroimaging”enthuses the research center, which also emphasizes “the importance of the human-animal relationship” and of “voluntary cooperation” in the development of innovative methods. Beyond the scope of research, these training methods could find applications in the context of shearing or veterinary care.
